Why Mayo couldn’t say no to Duffy

There were three moments of Gavin Duffy’s Gaelic football that always stood out.

The first when he was just 14. His club, Ballina Stephenites, were beaten by Down’s Mayobridge in the 1995 Féile football semi-final. Because that year’s event was being hosted by Mayo, thousands had gathered to watch the home team play. Afterwards the visiting supporters gathered outside the dressing room to ask for Duffy’s autograph. They knew what Mayo people knew for a while. This guy was a unique talent.

Fast forward four years when he was a county minor in Croke Park on All-Ireland final Sunday against Down again. Duffy was named in midfield and picked up Benny Coulter, who played against him four years earlier. After 22 minutes Coulter broke behind the Mayo full-back line following a long punt and stuck it in the net. Mayo lost by a goal.

The following month his club were in the county minor final. Duffy stood in the centre of the dressing room. Players shuffled. Unsure how he would react to the burden of being Mayo’s latest fall guy. “This is my All-Ireland final,” he said before going on to kick 1-3 in a man-of-the-match display. A leader on a team that contained no less than two future Mayo senior captains, five future players and a host of All-Ireland club winners.

A year later and he was lining out for Ballina. This time though, there was a sense of mourning about the occasion.

It was just after his Leaving Cert, a few months after he led Ireland Schools rugby side to a series victory over Australia in Australia. Everyone knew it. This was his last show.

The setting was Ballina’s arch-rivals Knockmore. A senior championship game between two sides regularly swapping Connacht titles at the time.

When Duffy walked off the crowd murmured in disappointment. He was about to sign an academy contract. They knew they’d never see him again.

Until last Tuesday night.

Cue talk of a gamble. Talk of the position he would play. Talk of player unrest. Talk of James Horan being desperate.

All talk. Little substance.

To understand the decision to trial him you must first understand Mayo’s predicament.

This is the fourth year players have worked under Horan. From losing to Longford in the qualifiers he has taken a team to win the last three Connacht titles and reach two All-Ireland finals. Horan’s day job as an engineer with a multinational company concentrates on quality assurance. It has created a mantra he leads his teams by. Evaluate the problem, create the solution and deliver excellence.

Last year, after James Nallen stepped down from the backroom team he had a void to fill. Calls were made. Coffees were drank but the right man to offer the panel something extra was not there. He needed someone to bring into his set-up as opposed to someone who will create their own set-up, while working on ways to improve the side and find new forwards.

A rugby fan due to his New Zealand heritage, when Duffy left Connacht last month an opening appeared for Horan. Can Duffy fill all those roles? Probably not. Can he fill one of them? Probably. Which one? It depends on his ability but there are few downsides to bringing him in based on the situation they found themselves in.

After spending 14 years in professional rugby he has picked up a thing or two about how to prepare as an elite player. A degree in strength and conditioning also gives him added benefit to a squad environment.

“The worst case scenario for Gavin is that he stays in shape and Mayo benefit from a guy who played for Ireland in World Cups and for the club in Heineken Cups,” said former club team-mate Ronan McGarrity, who also made his senior debut that day in Knockmore.

“They’re not the kind of achievements people hand to you. You earn them. His approach, behaviour and attitude will be something the younger lads, and even the older lads, will pick up on. They’ll be watching how he does the little things.”

That’s been the general consensus within the county. His club minor manager back in 1999 was Enda Gilvarry, who last year became the first Mayo county manager to win an All-Ireland in Croke Park in 15 attempts when the county minors beat Tyrone.

“Whatever about the playing ability he can resurrect, he brings the ethos and mindset of a sports professional,” he said.

“The GAA and, Mayo in particular, we are almost fully professional in the way we prepare for games. We spend as much time getting ready as professional teams in other codes do yet there is still an awful lot to learn about mental preparation, time needed to relax and nutrition.

“Gavin’s personality will carry him through a lot in life. He has never lost his friendship and openness and it shines through still. It can only benefit a squad by having him involved.

“We’ve always had exceptional footballers but it’s been rare that any of them have gone to the top of another sport like he did. I don’t think people realise the drive he has to come from the West of Ireland 14 years ago and become an Irish rugby international. He stayed at the top for so long and captained his province too.”

It won’t be easy, though. Alan Murphy was in Duffy’s shoes for two years before and failed. The Ballinrobe man had spent his 20s playing professionally in the League of Ireland. When the league faltered he turned back to his club and earned a Mayo call-up ahead of the 2012 final. Two years he sat on the squad and made just a handful of league and FBD appearances despite being the top scorer in the county league.

Good, but not good enough. He wasn’t brought back this year.

While Duffy’s conditioning will mean he could give the team 15 minutes here and there, basic skills will be Horan’s main concern.

“It’s not going to be a major challenge fitness wise but skill wise the game has developed so much,” said McGarrity.

“He’ll struggle there for a while. That’s his challenge, to pick up those skills fast enough.

“He’s been out of football for 14 years. When I was playing basketball in America I’d play football for at least three months a year to keep a toe in. It’s a huge challenge but he’ll have eyed this up as a pro and take it on with his eyes wide open.

“He’s a proud Mayo lad too. Everyone in Mayo always wants to play for the county, he’s no different. Rugby was his bread and butter but this will mean a lot more to him.”

If he manages it though watch out.

“I’ve seen him running at opposition defences and he was one of the best I ever saw,” said Gilvarry. “I suspect he wouldn’t have 70 minutes in him in today’s game at the age of 32 but if anyone could have an impact to run at a defence, Gavin Duffy would have it.”

Cue moment number four?